Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

Chapter 118

Author's Note: There may be a time jump in next chapter or the chapter after. I see a few more chapters until the whole flu thing, which I'm still working out in my head. Then mean old Governor. But we aren't complaining are we? Didn't think so! Review please.

Merle and Jes's POV:

Merle glanced at Jes in the car as he drove. "Why'd you cover for me?" he asked.

Jes arched an eyebrow. "Does it matter? Got you out of there for a couple days right? That's what you wanted?"

Merle shrugged. "Yeah, but still doesn't explain why you did what you did. You didn't have to cover me. I was handelin' it," he told her.

Jes gave a small laugh. "Yeah, you were handling it, right into the guard tower for guard duty. You were getting antsy, starting to act like a caged animal."

"Hate to point this out sweetheart, but we do live in a prison," Merle reminded her.

Jes rolled her eyes at him. "Don't make me regret saving your ass back there Merle," she warned.

"Guess you've forgiven me for punchin' you?" Merle questioned. "Whiskey bottle in the glove box."

Jes grinned as she retrieved it. "Keeping the good shit for yourself, that's the Merle Dixon I know," she said as she opened it.

Merle smirked. "Not the Merle Dixon you love?" he teased.

Jes laughed. "I do not do love, Merle, neither do you. We do hot and needy sex in between the sheets to release tension. Don't think either one of us would know what love was if it came up and bit us in the asses," she said as she passed the bottle over to him.

"Hopin' for a little something' in the sack Jes? Been a while, huh?" Merle teased as he took a swig.

Jes sighed. "Oh yes, Merle, I couldn't stop but think I wanted nothing more than you ripping my clothes off in a cold ass cabin. That's the only damn reason that I interfered and told them that we were planning this," she answered sarcastically.

Merle handed her the bottle back. "Oh you know you miss old Merle."

Jes laughed. "Right and I miss being able to push Walkers' into pits, but that don't mean I'm going to go out and dig pits," she told him. "I could say that you miss me. I didn't hear you argue about me coming with you. You seemed to agree awful quick with me coming with you. Could say that you missed my Spanish temper," she teased as she handed him the bottle back.

Merle laughed. "Well no one says we can't just have a roll in the hay. Now that we're goin' to be alone for a couple days."

"That's so not gonna happen, Merle. There isn't enough whiskey in that bottle," Jes informed him.

"Got more where that came from," Merle smirked. "I swear aint ever met a woman that can stand toe to toe with me like you Jes."

"You mean one that'll kick your ass if you get out of line Merle?" Jes asked as she took the bottle out of his hand. "So you want to tell me why you were really planning on disappearing for a couple days?"

Merle shrugged. "Truth be told all this family bondin' time is makin' my skin crawl. I'm tryin', tryin' real hard. Runnin' is in my blood, first instinct," he admitted.

Jes handed him the whiskey bottle back to him. "Didn't know you before all this, Merle. Knew how much you wanted to find your family when you were in Woodbury. Went around it the wrong way, but working things out, and that's all that can be asked for. Daryl, Jewel and Summer don't expect you to be perfect, they expect you to try, which you are doing."

"Yet they still had a fit and half when I tried to leave," Merle pointed out.

"Yeah because you were trying to leave without telling anyone. All that Daryl and Summer saw was that you were up to your old tricks. Just need to show that you aren't the same person, just take time," Jes pointed out.

"Easier said then done," Merle responded.

"That's why you have me around," Jes said with a grin as she took the bottle back.

Prison POV:

Mar arched an eyebrow as she watched Mitch and Carl looking down on the courtyard, Lexi was sitting on the pavement reading. She placed her hands on either of the boys shoulders. "What are you two up too?"

Carl jumped. "Geeze Mar, you've been hanging out with Daryl to long. You need a bell."

"What are you two doing?" Mar asked again.

"Nothing, Mar," Mitch answered.

Lexi looked up from her book. "They're spying on Summer."

"Lexi," Carl said as he shook his head. "We aren't exactly spying, Mar."

Mar looked down and saw Summer eating soup and talking with Joey. "Not spying huh Carl? Mind telling me exactly what you are doing? I mean you just happened to have a perfect viewing spot of Summer, and I don't think that was on purpose."

"Carl said we needed to keep an eye out on Summer, in case Joey tries something," Mitch answered.

Carl looked at him. "The two of you are the worst conspirators ever. Remind me not to ask the two of you for any help on anything, ever again."

Lexi raised her book. "I'm just reading," she answered.

"First rule of spying Carl, is to be a little less conspicuous. Trust me she knew you were up here from the minute you sat down. May want to lose the hat, it's a big giveaway," Mar teased.

"Tried to tell him that, he's attached to the hat," Lexi answered as she continued reading.

Mar grinned. "Always listen to the girl when it comes to spying Carl, we know how to do it best."

Carol came out holding Judith. "Got caught spying huh?"

"They're not that good at it," Mar told her. "Hi Judith. Maybe by the time you get interested in boys, these two will have learned better skills."

"She hasn't spotted us," Mitch answered.

"Oh she spotted you the moment she sat down, Mitch. She's been hunting since she was old enough to walk, she knows how to be very aware of her surroundings," Carol informed them. "Axel is down there, not to mention Ty and Glenn. Joey's going to be going on guard duty soon."

"There's nothing wrong with us wanting to keep an eye on Summer," Carl pointed out. "She is like our big sister, and it is my job to watch out for my sisters," Carl pointed out.

Mitch nodded. "Don't really remember a time being without Summer," he pointed out.

"I'm just making sure the boys don't get in trouble," Lexi answered.

Carol and Mar both laughed. "It's admirable, and even though Summer may steal your hat in a bit, but being a teenage girl is hard enough without the constant visual that everyone is giving her," Mar told them.

"Carl why don't you take Judy up to see your dad and Jewel?" Carol told him. "Summer will probably be up after she finishes eating."

"Why don't we just go get her?" Mitch asked.

Lexi shook her head. "Boys! Even though she knows we are up here, we don't want her to KNOW we are up here. I swear, am I going to have to teach you guys everything about being the younger siblings?" she asked as she got up. "You can't just go down and get her, you have to have a reason to go down and interrupt. I've interrupted a lot of sibling make out sessions in my life, and you have to have a believable excuse. Considering we don't have a dog to walk, that excuse probably won't work in this case."

Mar looked at Lexi. "Does Ty and Sasha know you are this skilled in interrupting?"

Lexi laughed. "Ty's been having me interrupt Sasha since I was walking," she said as she took Judy. "I think you need a bottle, sweetheart. Yes your big sister can't refuse this cute little chubby face. Let's show big brother how it's done."

Carl looked at her. "I thought you were just reading?"

"I was but Judy needs her bottle," Lexi said as she started to go downstairs. "What? Aren't you two coming?" she asked.

Mar and Carol both laughed as they went downstairs. "Someday, Summer's going to use Judy to interrupt Carl and Lexi," Mar pointed out.

Carol grinned. "It's good to think that far in advance isn't it?"

"Very good," Mar said with a smile.

Summer's POV:

Summer rubbed her hands over the warm thermos. "You are going to need another blanket out there. It's freezing."

Joey laughed. "Well thanks for worrying about me Princess, but I'm sure I'll be fine," he said as he glanced upwards. "They know we can see them right?"

Summer laughed. "Carl probably thinks he's being all stealthy, Mitch is just along for the ride. At least it's not Uncle Daryl or dad glaring at you. I need to go get Judy from Carol soon. Carl, her and me are going to go spend some time with her before it gets to late."

Joey nodded as he put a hand on her knee. "Glad to see that you are over the whole being mad at the parents thing."

Summer smiled a little as she saw Glenn and Ty both looking at them. "Yeah, in this day and time don't think it's good to waste time on being angry over something we can't control," she said as she moved his hand, but gave it a bit of a squeeze before doing it.

Joey smiled. "You know I ain't gonna do anything you don't ever want."

"I know," Summer said with a smile as she turned hearing Lexi, Carl and Mitch come down. "Hello Ladybug are you almost ready to go see daddy and mommy? I was about ready to come and get you once my hands got warm. Yes."

"We thought she could use her bottle," Mitch told them.

Joey shook his head as he got up. "I better try to get a couple hours of sleep before guard duty. Night Princess."

"Night," Summer said as he went upstairs.

"Night Joey," Carl told him as he passed.

"Night kid," Joey answered as he passed.

Summer shook her head as she took Judy. "You three couldn't be any more obvious if you were walkers."

"It was the hat wasn't it?" Lexi asked as she went to fix a bottle. "I told him to lose the hat."

Mitch sat down beside her. "We didn't mean to do anything wrong. We were just looking out for you."

Carl rolled his eyes. "The two of you are really bad conspirators! I swear, I'll ask Patrick next time."

Summer laughed. "I'm not mad Carl."

"You aren't?" Carl asked as he looked at her.

Lexi shook her head as she brought Judy's bottle to her. "I'm trying to teach Carl the logistics of being a younger brother, he's not learning to well."

Summer laughed as she gave Judy the bottle. "Carl one day Judy and I are going to team up against you. And all three of us will team up against Mitch. It's what's siblings do."

"If we all survive that long," Mitch told them.

Carl looked at him. "We've made it this far haven't we?"

Lexi smiled. "I like these odds," she agreed.

Summer smiled. "Yeah we've made it this far, and we keep fighting."

Grimes Family POV:

Rick buttoned his shirt as he heard the knock on the door. "I've got perfect timing," he said with a smile toward Jewel as he opened the door. "Come on in."

"It's been pretty quiet without the three of you," Jewel said as she held out her hands for Judy. "Come here pretty girl."

"How are you feeling?" Carl asked as he sat down on the side of the bed.

"Good. No spotting. How's it going out there?" Jewel asked as she pulled the blanket over Judy.

"Uncle Merle and Jes took off somewhere, guess Mar told you," Summer said. "And, Carl, Mitch and Lexi make horrible spies."

Rick arched an eyebrow and laughed. "Oh really?"

Carl shook his head. "We were just….." he started to say as he tried to think of an excuse.

"Just what? Spying?" Summer teased.

"Did they have something to spy on?" Rick asked.

Jewel laughed. "Rick, easy. So you were trying to be a protective brother and you brought them into it? I guess we're lucky that you didn't use Judy."

Carl tried not to laugh as he diverted his eyes from her.

"Oh he looks just like you when he's not telling everything he knows," Jewel told Rick. "You used Judy?"

"Actually it was Lexi's idea, Judy needed a bottle anyway," Carl told them.

Rick covered his mouth to keep a laugh in. "You didn't stop her?"

Summer grinned. "No they didn't stop her, and they thought they were being all stealthy. Can't really be stealthy wearing the hat."

Jewel laughed. "Well, I'd say this whole blended family thing was working out well."

Summer looked at her. "Is there a manual on how to blend a family when the dead are trying to eat you? Cause, I think I missed that whole section in the library."

Carl shook his head. "It's right between the books about dieting and abuse, how did you miss it?"

Jewel picked up Rick's pillow and hit both of them with it. "You two are horrible."

Rick laughed. "Noticed you used my pillow and not your three."

"I start out with three, I'm lucky enough to end up with one," Jewel told him as she kissed him.

"To much information!" Summer told them.

Carl laughed. "I have to agree!"

Rick and Jewel both looked at each other and taking a pillow each and hit them with it sending the family in a fit of laughter.